Trust me! I’m a doctor! No, I’m not. Not even a chiropractor. But I do know that when one over-indulges in the demon drink, there is generally a price to pay and you’ll be looking for the best hangover cure pills out there. That errrrrrghhhhhh feeling in the morning. Perhaps preceded by a bit of a Technicolor Yodel around midnight. A bit of hugging the porcelain followed by intense dehydration.
Is it worth it?
Hell yeah! If you like tailgating.
Help is at hand, of course. There are thousands of hangover cures, and most of them relate to replacing electrolytes, fluids and salts as quickly as you can and ingesting vitamin B.
Here are the 5 best hangover cure pills that (anecdotally) my friends and I have found fast and effective and not too expensive. My disclaimer is that I haven’t done any double blinds on these or scientific testing. It’s just that these seem to tick all the boxes of helping the human body manage alcohol and don’t have any toxic effects on their own. Read all labels and make sure that you are not taking something that clashes with your own medication. Oh, that’s probably alcohol …. But seriously, folks, if you are on ANY medication, consult your doctor, take these pills, label and pack with you and make sure that you do not risk any side effects and bad interaction between the ingredients of your RX and your supplement.
FYI, a lot of these supplements contain ‘prickly pear’ extract. Prickly pear is actually Nopales, as eaten in most homes in Mexico. If you over indulge in the green de-thorned cactus paddles either as a salad or cooked, I guarantee you will be on the toilet for many a session. Eating too much gives you the squits. OK, there. I’ve said it. That could be a good thing – expel all the alcohol vertically rather than crouched over the bowl offering prayers to the porcelain god.
Most have been Tailgate Party/Vegas-tested and that is as scientific as it gets.
1. PreToxx for Hangovers & Liver Support (45 Vegetarian Capsules with Prickly Pear, Milk Thistle, Cysteine, and Electrolyte Blend)
PreToxx for Hangovers & Liver Support
Prevention being better than cure, I introduce to you a liver health supplement that claims to ease you through the drinking by making your liver stronger and more able to filter out the toxins. This seems like a good idea. Kind of like having your liver do pushups before the tailgate party. All of the above pointers apply. It supports liver function using prickly pear and milk thistle extracts mixed with electrolytes. Not a drug. PreToxx cannot claim to prevent or affect alcohol intoxication and the usual ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ warnings must be read and internalized along with a tequila shot. Hey, we all know someone who can take turns at being the designated driver! Not for pregnant women but I’m guessing alcohol isn’t either.
The ingredients are: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamine HCl (Vitamin B-1), N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Prickly Pear Extract), Milk Thistle Extract, Pyridoxine HCl (Vitamin B-6), Methylcobalamin (Vitamin B-12), Calcium (Amino Acid Chelate), Magnesium (Amino Acid Chelate), Chloride (Sodium Chloride), Sodium (Sodium Chloride), Potassium (Amino Acide Chelate), Manganese (Amino Acide Chelate). You take 3 of these and a large glass of water before the booze-up and 3 more before collapsing into your coma after the tailgate party. If you take one a day, it is supposed to support a healthy liver. It prevents dehydration. You can read the full explanation of how each of the ingredients works on the brochure. Many users have claimed that this is an excellent hangover preventative as long as you keep taking the pills. Ceasing the pill-popping may cause the hangover to creep up on you! Also, be sure to swig an occasional glass of water during the night. You will avoid the body aches and post-drinking anxiety by keeping hydrated.
Note: the pills have a really strong vitamin odor probably from the huge quantity of vitamin B in the mix. Flatulent users, beware. You will never get away with blaming the dog while on these pills.
2. Pregame Hangover Pill – 60 Capsules, 100% Natural Ingredients
Pregame Hangover Pill
Pregame hangover pills prevent hangover symptoms including headaches, nausea, and dizziness. This product works as a hangover cure by restoring essential vitamins and minerals that are depleted while drinking alcohol. Pregame is manufactured in the U.S. in a FDA-inspected GMP compliant facility.
If you are under a physician’s care or taking medication, consult your healthcare professional.
The ingredients in the Pregame Hangover pill are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Magnesium, Potassium, Milk Thistle, L-Cysteine, and Prickly Pear Extract.
This one doesn’t require you to take umpteen pills. You just take one capsule of Pregame with at least 8oz of water before your first drink. After your first few drinks take another capsule with 8oz of water. For maximum effectiveness take an additional capsule with 8oz of water after your last drink. They don’t have the stench either. Many users swear by these as they prevent the headaches usually the killer after a long tailgate party with a few rounds of flip cup. If you are nervous about this, I would say have a weekend experiment when you do not have to get up next day. Drink like crazy, take the pills and see how you feel. Well, that is very scientific.
3. Drinkwel – The Multivitamin for People Who Drink (With Kudzu Flower, Milk Thistle, N-acetyl Cysteine)
Drinkwel – The Multivitamin for People Who Drink
90 pills to a bottle is 30 servings so you need 3 to get you through a drinking session. This has similar ingredients but there is also artichoke leaf and kudzu flower as well as a range of botanicals, Amino acids such as N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) to help process alcohol induced toxins and a heap of superfruit extracts including Acerola, Schisandra, Goji, and Açai berry. Vitamins B & C to top it off. It is a soy base. Not for pregnant women. Doesn’t prevent irrational behavior while drunk so use with caution. Check with your doc if you are nervous.
The ingredients include Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin E (as d-Alpha Tocopherol Succinate), Thiamine (Vitamin B1) (as Thiamine HCL), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3) (from Inositol Hexanicotinate), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine HCL), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 (as Methylcobalamin), Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (as d-Calcium Pantothenate), Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide), Zinc (as Zinc Gluconate), Selenium (as methylselenocysteine), Copper (as Copper Amino Acid Chelate), Manganese (as Manganese Ascorbate), Chromium (as Chromium Polynicotinate), NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine), Taurine, L-Theanine, Kudzu Flower powder, Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) extract 5:1 (seed), Rhodiola Rosea extract (root), Artichoke Leaf powder, Green Tea extract (leaf), Acerola Berry extract 4:1, Bupleurum powder (root), Schisandra extract (fruit), Acai Berry (Euterpe oleracea) extract 4:1, Goji Berry (Lycium chinense) powder (root bark), Betain HCL – quite a mouthful!
The whole idea is to take one of these every day and your liver will withstand the effects of alcohol and 3 before and after you have been on the booze. People like this one as it is not made by Big Pharma. and it works even at high altitudes. No headaches! A side effect can be a feeling of high temperature so stay cool when you go to bed, ditch the blankets and turn on the air con.
Cost effective. Follow the instructions carefully. Of all the many reviews and critiques and anecdotal tales about this Drinkwel pill, most have been positive and this pill comes up better than most. Drinking lots of water, even having water by the bedside is recommended. Made in USA.
4. Dihydromyricetin (Hovenia Dulcis Extract) Scientifically Proven to Prevent Hangovers
Dihydromyricetin
This is American made as well. Tested carefully for purity. It works by reducing the affect alcohol has on the brain’s GABA receptors and damge to the liver caused by over-indulgence at places like tailgate parties. The GABA receptors are a class of receptors that respond to the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate central nervous system. But you knew that, didn’t you?
The ingredient listed is 300mg of pure Dihydromyricetin (DHM) per capsule. This is a flavonoid component of herbal medicines extracted from oriental raisin Tree.
The method of using is to take 1-2 capsules before consuming alcohol, and 1-2 capsules each three drinks thereafter, to reduce feelings of intoxication and/or to support healthy liver function. A couple more pills immediately before falling asleep. Drink water with each pill.
Again, this is highly reviewed and praised for its effectiveness and people claim it counteracts the effects of tailgating. Students love this one as it sounds very scientific. You need to do your own experiment with this before going crazy with booze. Set your safe level and know just how it affects your body. You still won’t be able to drink and drive as your BAC will be unchanged by this medicine or any of the others listed here. You will just feel not as drunk and your hangover will not be as severe. Drink lots of water.
Worth checking out!
5. Zaca Recovery Patch, 6 Pack (With Milk Thistle, Prickly Pear, Vitamin B’s, N-acetyl Cysteine, Vitamin C and More)
Zaca Recovery Patch
People who cannot take pills seem to like these. The ingredients are similar to the tablets but in the form of a patch.
With all the hangover cures available on the market these days, I did not think the ones using a patch would be in the least effective. How on earth, I wondered, could the extracts seep through my skin fast enough to counteract a high speed game of dizzy bat?
Ingredients are Prickly Pear, Milk Thistle, B1, Lipoic Acid, B5, B3, Taurine, Lycopene, NAC, Magnesium, Vitamin C, very similar to all the above pills in fact I can’t see much difference. Except that you don’t have to take up valuable stomach space that could be used for beer and bacon by eating a handful of pills.
Oddly enough, it works. It is a lot less stress than downing the pills before and after the drinking. Just slap on the tiny Zaca patch which is only 1” square! Leave the patch on for 24 hours for maximum effectiveness. Remember to have an occasional glass of water in between all the fun stuff and you will be fine in the morning. Good for prevention of altitude sickness.
It’s guaranteed but there has been no testing in clinics and all reviews and data are anecdotal. It is actually very, very hard to test hangover cures. I have offered my services but nobody has taken me up on that yet.
Happy tailgating!
